Knowra Philosophy Philosophy Philosophy is the systematic study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, reason, value, mind, and language, pursued through argument, conceptual analysis, and criticism.
Metaphysics : The branch of philosophy that investigates reality, existence, causation, and the basic structure of the world. It develops philosophy’s questions about what exists and what reality is like.
Argument : A set of claims in which premises are offered as reasons to accept a conclusion. Philosophical positions are defended and challenged through structured reasons.
Pre-Socratic philosophy : Early Greek philosophy before Socrates, focused especially on nature, change, and the underlying principles of reality. These thinkers helped establish philosophical explanation apart from mythic accounts.
Science : A systematic enterprise that builds and tests empirical explanations of the natural and social world. Their methods differ, but philosophical scrutiny examines scientific evidence, explanation, and assumptions.
Theology : The systematic study of religious beliefs, doctrines, and practices, often within a particular tradition. Theology and philosophy can share questions while differing in their sources and commitments.
Epistemology : The branch of philosophy that studies knowledge, justification, evidence, and belief. It examines when claims about the world count as knowledge.
Deductive reasoning : Reasoning in which a conclusion follows necessarily if the premises are true. Deduction lets philosophers test whether conclusions follow from stated assumptions.
Socrates : An Athenian philosopher of the fifth century BCE known chiefly through accounts of his questioning and trial. His practice of examining beliefs became a model for philosophical inquiry.
Mathematics : The study of abstract structures, quantities, patterns, and relations through formal reasoning. Its foundations and proofs prompt philosophical questions about truth and abstraction.
Empiricism : The view that experience is the primary source or basis of knowledge. It is a philosophical position, not a synonym for philosophy, and contrasts with rationalist accounts.
Show all 26